1. Field
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to adaptive quality of service for a communication device in a wireless communication system.
2. Background
Wireless communication devices such as mobile stations, for example, may receive wireless signals from and/or may transmit wireless signals to one or more base stations. A mobile station may operate as part of a cellular communication system, and may exchange wireless signals with a base station if engaged in a telephone call, for example.
If a mobile station is not actively engaged in a call, it may be in an idle slotted state in order to preserve battery power. While in the idle state, the mobile station may monitor a paging channel by periodically turning on its receiver to determine whether the mobile station has been paged. A page message transmitted by a base station may indicate to the mobile station that there is an incoming call or a message for the mobile station. In the event of page message indicating an incoming call, the mobile station may establish active communication with the base station, and that communication may remain active while the mobile station is engaged with the call.
As previously mentioned, if a mobile station is not actively engaged in a call, it may be in an idle state in order to preserve battery power. In general, the mobile station's battery life may be determined, at least in part, by how much time the receiver and transmitter circuits of the mobile station are turned on. The more time the mobile station is actively monitoring the system, the shorter the battery life. Conversely, the more time the receiver and transmitter circuits of the mobile station are off, the longer the battery life. While in the idle slotted state, if the mobile station receiver is turned on less frequently and/or for shorter periods of time, battery life may be extended accordingly. However, extending battery life in this manner may negatively impact quality of service (QoS) as it relates to call performance.
Mobile stations are typically manufactured and delivered to consumers with a set of pre-selected parameters related to call performance and QoS. The mobile station manufacturer and/or cellular network provider, for example, may attempt to create a set of pre-selected parameters that may provide an advantageous balance of call performance and battery life. However, there are a wide range of operating environments in which a mobile station may operate. Further, the operating environment for any given mobile station may not remain constant as conditions change from moment-to-moment and over time. Also, individual consumers may have widely varying usage patterns one from another, and, further still, the consumer's usage patterns may change over time, for example.